1. Related Field
Various embodiments of the present invention relate generally to systems and methods for selectively controlling braking operations of a vehicle or a trailer towed thereby by one or more of activating, deploying, manipulating, and retracting a ground-engaging vehicle braking system so as to assist a driver of the vehicle to maintain control under adverse driving conditions such as snow, ice, wet roads, slippery terrain, mountainous or steep terrain, and the like. The systems and methods of the various embodiments are particularly useful for tractor-trailer rigs, where the risk of jackknifing and/or primary brake failure increases under such adverse driving conditions. Other applications may involve the non-limiting examples of buses, whether in the public transportation or school context, or otherwise.
2. Description of Related Art
Vehicles, and in particular trailers pulled by a vehicle, in particular tractor-trailer rigs, have been used for many years to carry a great variety of goods on open roads. Control of the vehicle and/or trailer while braking has always been a significant problem and continues to result in loss of life and property. As a non-limiting example, if traction between the trailer's wheels and a road surface is diminished or lost, the trailer becomes subject to lateral skid forces that may result in sideways sliding of the trailer and/or jackknifing. Comparable scenarios exist for extended length vehicles, such as, for example, buses. Additionally, on severe grades or even elsewhere, the primary braking system of extended vehicles and/or towed trailers oftentimes become overheated, resulting in, at worst, inoperability. When any of these scenarios occur, there is very little that a driver of the vehicle can do to rectify the situation since further braking either exacerbates the overheating or accelerates an encountered skid.
While various systems have been proposed to prevent or at least inhibit the adverse effects of brake malfunction and/or trailer jackknifing, such systems are oftentimes complicated and difficult or expensive to install, particularly in a retrofit operation, as many require bodily incorporation with the vehicle's (e.g., truck rig's) braking system. Moreover, many drivers are wary of such systems, as they inevitably take a degree of braking control away from the driver. Accordingly, there is a need for an inexpensive, simplistic system that may both automatically and/or selectively control braking operations, without the need for continuous oversight by a driver. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide a system that could be interchangeably employed in new vehicles and trailers as well as retrofitted into existing vehicles and trailers.